Golden Age

Long ago, when the average death of life was about 40, there weren’t too many grandparents. And those few were often were placed in sanitoria or poor houses. A lucky few lived with unfortunate family.

The great witch doctors decided there was more money to be made if folks lived longer. After all, an early death meant the end of taxes and tithes from the deceased. Putting their heads together, an act not totally truth, resulted in a longevity/security plan. Each person from the first day of labor would contribute a designated number of rupees to be placed in an account to help with costs of aging.

The emperor decreed that this amount would remain holy, not to be commingled, until such time as each person came close to death and past financial health. And the people played along by sending money monthly, yearly and sometimes daily to swell the coffers.

The witch doctors now decided that some of that money should be spent on research to aid in longer longevity. And so it was.

And for some time, it almost worked.

However, there came a time when the research out performed the finances and because death dwindled, there came a gigantic swell of folks known as boomings. As it neared their time to settle into the golden times (from earlier fables) it was judged that the security deposit was inadequate and that it had been divided into so many pies that the actual amount was lost under the shells.

It came to pass that boomings could not reach the golden time without taking other jobs at the same time the job market dwindled. Even very elderly women served espresso from donkey carts while waiting to pass.

But the research was not all in vain. A new pill came into being and enabled booming grandpas the opportunity to start new families with very young women.

Alas, the pot grew even smaller and it was against the law to grow the pot.

And so it was.

fractal by Sue